Father Biju Antony, I.M.S.

Father Biju Antony, IMS, was born on October 22, 1974, in Cherukole, Mavelikkara, Kerala, India. The youngest of seven children, he was raised in a devout Catholic family where daily Mass, family prayer, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and care for those in need were central to everyday life.

His parents were his first examples of faith. His mother, a parish catechism teacher, taught him the stories of the Bible and the lives of the saints and martyrs. His parish priest also played an important role in his vocation. After receiving his First Holy Communion, Biju began serving as an altar boy, and during his teenage years, he began to recognize God’s call to missionary priesthood.

After completing high school, he entered the seminary in June 1992 and joined the Indian Missionary Society, known as IMS. Founded in Varanasi, India, the Indian Missionary Society is a Catholic clerical religious congregation dedicated to evangelization, pastoral ministry, education, healing ministries, and service among rural and underserved communities.

Father Biju’s priestly formation included minor seminary, novitiate, studies in philosophy and sacred theology, missionary preparation, and diaconal ministry in Varanasi in northern India. His years of formation introduced him to cultures and languages different from those of his native Kerala and prepared him for missionary service.

He was ordained to the priesthood on April 26, 2003, at his home parish in Kerala.

During the first eight years of his priesthood, Father Biju served in parish and missionary assignments in India. His ministry included celebrating the sacraments, visiting the sick and homebound, bringing Holy Communion to those unable to attend Mass, providing spiritual counseling, and supporting the Church’s educational, healing, and social-service ministries.

In 2011, Father Biju came to the United States and served as parochial vicar at St. Mary Cathedral in the Diocese of Austin. Along with his parish responsibilities, he regularly visited hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and homebound parishioners. These experiences strengthened his desire to devote himself more fully to the pastoral care of the sick.

In 2013, he moved to the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota. He first served at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Williston, where he ministered to a rapidly growing and diverse community during the Bakken oil boom. He also served as a hospital chaplain, bringing the sacraments and spiritual support to patients and their families.

Father Biju later served at the Catholic Indian Mission in Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Reservation. There, he accompanied Native American communities and ministered to individuals and families affected by illness, addiction, poverty, and isolation.

From 2021 to 2024, he served as parochial administrator of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Flasher, St. Theresa Catholic Church in Carson, and St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Raleigh, North Dakota. His responsibilities included sacramental ministry, parish administration, catechesis, spiritual counseling, and pastoral care.

After more than two decades of missionary and parish ministry, Father Biju discerned a particular calling to hospital chaplaincy. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston appointed him a hospital chaplain effective March 12, 2025. He initially served in Houston before moving to the Katy area later that month.

In late March 2025, Father Biju began residing at the rectory of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church. By March 29, 2025, he was already responding to sacramental emergencies at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital and caring for Catholic patients in the Katy area.

Father Biju currently serves through the Archdiocese’s Catholic Chaplain Corps, providing pastoral and sacramental care at hospitals in the Katy and western Houston area. His ministry includes visiting patients, bringing Holy Communion, hearing Confessions, administering the Anointing of the Sick, responding to end-of-life emergencies, and praying with patients and their families.

Although hospital chaplaincy is his primary assignment, Father Biju also participates in the priestly life of St. Bartholomew and assists with Masses, Confessions, and other pastoral needs when his hospital responsibilities permit.

On April 26, 2026, Father Biju celebrated the 23rd anniversary of his priestly ordination. His ministry reflects the missionary spirit of the Indian Missionary Society and his lifelong commitment to bringing the compassion, healing, and sacramental presence of Christ to those who are sick and suffering.